


Holding Pattern

by shadowolfhunter



Category: Eureka (TV)
Genre: Angst, Avoidance, Denial, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, M/M, Miscommunication
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-10-10 18:18:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17431061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowolfhunter/pseuds/shadowolfhunter
Summary: Jack Carter has a problem. It's tall, it's dark, it's handsome, a genius Nobel-prize winning scientist and it, or rather he, has been a pain in Jack's butt since the day they met.Jack's been in major denial for three months, but a random act of crackpot scientist imagining he could get away with unauthorised testing if only the Sheriff and the Head of GD were out of the way for a while brings things to a head in a very life or death way.The worst part, this unintentional act of harm may well end up killing the man that Jack can now admit he loves, with Nathan's life hanging in the balance the only thing Jack can do is pray that they are found in time.





	1. Observations

It was roughly an hour into the latest disaster to befall Sheriff Jack Carter that he realised that the problem might well be potentially a lot more serious than it first presented itself.

He woke to find himself kidnapped. Or at least being handcuffed to a pipe in some dank and miserable room, _somewhere at GD? Maybe_ , seemed to point towards kidnapping. The fact that his neck was killing him, a quick check confirming that yes, there was a sore spot and faint traces of blood, the rest of himself while definitely a bit cold and uncomfortable checked out just fine. So, that pointed to him being kept out of the way somewhere, which suggested the vague possibility of some scientist up to no good, but since being trapped was the first problem to overcome, Jack reined in his annoyance and hazy memories of what he might have been doing up to the point it all went dark, and concentrated his attention on his companion.

Dr Nathan Stark.

The irritating, genius scientist had been uncharacteristically quiet up to this point, and Jack was actually about to rib the man about that, being delighted to be apparently afforded the opportunity to get in the first shot, when several ominous facts presented themselves.

Nathan was cuffed to the same pipe. Where Jack was attached by one wrist, Nathan was cuffed behind his back around the pipe, and the scientist did not look good. The much more stressful position of his hands and arms were clearly having a detrimental effect on the man.

Jack took in the minute tremors of the long, lean body, the slumped position and the scientist’s sweaty forehead and flushed cheeks.

“You’re sick.”

Nathan side-eyed him and muttered something mostly unintelligible which might have been “you don’t say,” or some denial of circumstance. Jack ignored that.

Nathan shifted a little restlessly, his eyes squeezed shut in pain and then he coughed.

That rough wet sound sped up Jack’s heart rate, as he listened to the wheeze in the scientist’s breathing he knew that this wasn’t just a cold as Nathan had claimed yesterday, brushing off both Allison’s and Jack’s comments as though it were nothing. Nathan was in a bad way.

Jack was fully clothed, still in his Sheriff’s jacket, which was serving to keep him warm enough, but Nathan was in pants and his cotton dress shirt, which was doing nothing to keep the chill of the room.

Sheriff Jack Carter’s feelings for Dr Nathan Stark were raw and newly acknowledged. But this could be the man’s life, so Jack’s personal possible humiliation had to be put aside, he had considerably more room to manoeuvre than Nathan. He shifted closer, Nathan side-eyed him again, but it was clear that keeping relatively warm won out against whatever arguments for distance that genius could come up with.

Nathan slumped awkwardly sideways, his head coming to rest on Jack’s shoulder. Jack turned so that he could bring the taller scientist physically closer. “You’re hotter than a two dollar pistol.” Jack muttered as the now obviously shivering scientist made a funny noise in the back of his throat and huddled against Jack.

Jack tested Nathan’s forehead with the back of his hand, _burning up_ , and stroked his fingers through Stark’s short-cropped curls, soaked with sweat, and tried very hard not to panic.

 

Time ticked by, Jack had no idea how much, but Nathan’s condition was deteriorating, the scientist’s temperature had definitely climbed since cuddling into Jack’s body, and he was breathing with pain and difficulty.

And all Jack could do was cuddle Nathan as close as possible, and pray for rescue.


	2. Rescued

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Nathan have been found, but apparently science wins again.

Jack was furious, but exploding at the people who were the subject of his ire was fruitless, as all the months living in Eureka and dealing with the problems of a small town full of so-called geniuses had taught him.

So he listened to Allison’s soothing platitudes and watched through the window of the isolation unit as Nathan Stark fought for his life.

By the time they were found, Nathan was in a very bad way, and Jack didn’t need an MD to know that his genius pain-in-the-ass scientist had pneumonia.

Trapped alone with the man, Jack could only admit to himself that he did care, and that he didn’t hate Nathan. From the way the distressed scientist curled against him, and the few precious moments of lucidity between the fevered ramblings that followed as Nathan got worse, it appeared to Jack that really Nathan Stark didn’t actually hate Jack Carter either.

He held his anger in and stood next to Allison, watching Nathan, on oxygen, struggling to breathe, as Allison excused the scientist who had done that to them as just being a bit overzealous. Slap on the wrist. Nothing to see here. Move along to the next crisis.

Literally nothing that Jack had not already heard. Had been hearing for months. Amazing how something was only a felony when science was apparently not involved. Yes, Nathan was already sick when he was kidnapped, but the incident prevented him getting treatment for over five hours. The scientist involved didn’t mean any harm and his project was promising.

So Jack stood, and listened to Allison and watched Nathan struggle, and held on to his temper with difficulty, hiding his rage under his usual charm. _Honey traps more flies than vinegar_ he thought bitterly.

The real kicker was realising that Nathan’s half-open, fevered green eyes were trained on him, not Allison, who walked off without even going in to reassure her ex husband.

Jack pushed open the door to the unit and walked in, whatever the apparent relationship between them on a day to day basis, the hours trapped together had shown Jack that a different scenario was possible, and besides Nathan was sick and in distress and it was beyond Jack to walk away leaving him like that.

Gently capturing the hand that was heading towards the oxygen mask over Nathan’s mouth and nose, Jack squeezed it comfortingly, “No, scientist, you need to breathe.” Nathan’s eyes fluttered closed, and his fingers squeezed back. Jack rubbed a thumb over the back of Nathan’s hand, still held in his grasp and the green eyes blinked open again. “And whatever the project, Paulson doesn’t get to do this to you without any consequences.” Nathan’s fingers squeezed Jack’s again, not wanting to let go of Nathan's hand, Jack reached back with his foot and tugged the miserable plastic chair nearer, sitting down. He planned on staying a while, at least until Nathan went to sleep. The half smile, mostly obscured by the oxygen mask, and the look in Nathan’s eyes was enough to tell him he had made the right decision.


	3. Eyes Opened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathan's feeling better and comes to some conclusions

Nathan was awake, for the first time in days he could think clearly, breathing was still a little painful, but he’d been given a cannula instead of the mask, and whilst it itched, he could live with it.

Nathan’s sharp analytical brain backtracked over the memories of the last few days, he wasn’t exactly sure how long he had been out of circulation, but it was clearly a while. He sorted through it all in his mind, realising there was one overriding image. Jack Carter. Jack sitting by his bed, caring enough to stick around. Jack coming back again and again, holding his hand, keeping Nathan anchored.

It felt nice.

Nathan Stark didn’t do nice. He did relationships with people who shared his excellent credentials and brain power and…

It felt nice. 

Nathan pondered the nice. Remembered the gentle, but firm warmth of Jack’s hand squeezing his, stirred the vague memory of Jack’s hand smoothing Nathan’s hair back when Nathan’s head was hurting and it felt like Nathan’s brain was frying itself inside Nathan’s skull, and the strength and warmth of Jack’s body, supporting him as Nathan threw up in a steel bowl, and damn was that a memory that Nathan could do without.

Nathan thought of Allison.

Jack’s hand squeezing his comfortingly, Jack’s body supporting his as Nathan lost control.

Nathan didn’t lose control. He was the epitome of control. It characterised every aspect of his life.

Jack’s arms supporting him, helping him lie back, Jack helping him get a few sips of water, before replacing the mask over his mouth and nose. Jack’s voice telling him to go back to sleep. It was all okay, _just sleep Nathan, you need it_.

Jack being there.

Nathan tried to picture Allison being there. Her hand holding his…

Allison’s fingers on his pulse point, Allison writing something on his chart, Allison directing the nurse...Allison’s distance.

Jack’s closeness.

Nathan was stubbornness personified, but he couldn’t lie to himself, somewhere along the line, somewhere down in that dark forgotten abandoned lab, he had let go of his _defence against Jack Carter_ , when there was pain and misery, and just Jack to help him through, the man’s perpetual niceness, his compassion, and Nathan had fallen sideways (literally) into his arms, and that had changed everything.

Nathan closed his eyes. 

A gentle touch on the back of his hand. He could deny it, and Jack would not pursue it, because Jack had compassion, Nathan’s fingers twitched, and there it was again, that warm, firm hand, holding his, demanding nothing, but offering comfort and maybe something else if Nathan wanted it.

Nathan opened his eyes.


End file.
